Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (B) [Jn
6:1-15]
28.07.2024
Multiplication of Loaves (Feeding the Five Thousand)
1. Theme in brief
Conversion of selfish persons into compassionate and generous sharers
2. Focus Statement:
Out
of his boundless compassion, Jesus satisfies our physical and spiritual hunger
so that we may overcome our selfishness and greed and become generous sharers
of our little resources.
3. Explanation of the text
What we notice significantly in today’s gospel is Jesus’ compassion for the hungry and tired crowd of people who kept on gathering around him (6:2). They might have had good or bad motives: (1) to listen to his word because the expression “coming to Jesus” in John’s gospel implies precisely this (6:5); (2) to get healed of their illnesses because they had seen the “signs” (John’s common word for miracles) he was doing for the sick (6:2); and (3) to make him a political king (6:15) who could provide them with material things without much work. In today’s gospel we heard about one of the “signs” – multiplication of loaves of bread to feed about five thousand people.
John mentions that
this miracle took place when the Jewish Passover
feast was near (6:4). Probably he wants to tell us that feeding the hungry
crowd with bread is a pointer to the Passover meal during which the Jews ate
the sacrificial lambs with unleavened bread. It could also be a pointer to the New Passover Meal
(that is, the Eucharist) in which a different ‘Sacrificial Lamb’ (Jesus’ own Body
and Blood) is offered to believers for their spiritual nourishment. After all,
this miracle of satisfying the physical hunger with material bread is only a “sign” that
points to another reality – Jesus’ desire to satisfy the spiritual hunger of believers. Since Philip – one
of his disciples – was from
Actually, this was not a financial enquiry that required a cost estimation report from him, but a test to his faith (6:6). The disciples had not yet reached the depth-level of faith in Jesus due to which they were unable to understand his divine power to satisfy the hunger of such a great multitude. Jesus was totally in control of the whole situation because he himself knew what to do and what not to do in such a situation (6:6). Philip presented a pessimistic picture of the situation: first of all they did not have money to buy food for so many; secondly, even if they had money equivalent to six months’ wages, it would not be sufficient to feed each one even a little (6:7). Another disciple, Andrew, was optimistic but not fully. He pointed out a boy in the crowd who had five barley loaves and two fish, but admitted that those were nothing in front of such a crowd (6:9). Philip focused on the enormity of the problem and impossibility of any solution, whereas Andrew focused not on the problem but on the meagreness or smallness of the resources.
Though this is the
only miracle (called “sign” in this gospel) found in all the four gospels, John’s
gospel has the following special elements not found in the synoptic gospels:
(1) After taking bread in his hands, John says that Jesus “gave thanks” to God (6:11), whereas the synoptic
gospels use the word “blessed” God (cf. Mk 6:41; Mt 14:19). Though both the
words ultimately have the same connotation, John’s choice of the word used for
the ‘Eucharist’ in the early Church (which means “giving thanks” in Greek)
indicates that Jesus’ feeding them with material bread for the sustenance of
their physical life, signifies his feeding them with the Bread of Divine (Eternal) Life later on. (2) According
to John, Jesus himself distributes the
bread (6:11), whereas according to synoptic gospels it is the disciples who
distribute it (cf. Mk 6:41). This is a clear reference to Jesus’ gesture of
breaking and giving the Eucharistic Bread at the Last Supper. There is a hidden sense
here that he is the distributor or giver
of the Bread of life. (3) Only in John’s gospel, Jesus commands the disciples
to gather up the “fragments” so that
nothing is wasted (6:12). This word was used for the fragments of bread used
for the Eucharist in the
This miracle leads to people’s acclamation of Jesus as the awaited prophet like Moses (6:14) who fed the Israelites
with manna in the desert or Elisha who multiplied barley loaves to feed a
hundred hungry men (2 Kings 4:42-44). They wanted to make him a political king by force (6:15) – a king who would
provide them with plenty of bread (symbolizing all material things) and would
fight for their independence from Roman
rule. They totally failed to understand that his kingship
was not of this world, as Jesus would tell Pilate during his trial (Jn 18:36).
4. Application to life
Today’s gospel text focuses mainly on three points:
(1) Our God is a generous and compassionate God who satisfies physical and spiritual hunger of people through his Son, Jesus. In this text, we see a compassionate Jesus, who is very sensitive to the physical hunger of people who were flocking to him. Today’s gospel-message invites us to become sensitive to hunger and poverty around us and share our bread and resources with the hungry and the needy. Of course, a broader application of this message also involves sensitivity to any material needs of the have-nots. It is estimated more than 850 million people go to bed every day without food and a child dies of hunger every 3 seconds around the world. What a world of contrasts we live in: When so many people including children go to bed everyday with hungry stomachs in some parts of the world, so much food is wasted in lavish parties and banquets in some other parts; when so many starve in one region, so much food is thrown away in another. Some of the luxurious banquets and parties make us wonder whether people live to eat or eat to live. Our world can be a better place if we decide to share something of what we have. The continuity of hunger in the world is a blot on its economic, scientific and technological progress in so many fields. Our parties and banquets can become God’s banquet of love only when we share our resources with the needy.
But we should remember people are hungry not only for bread. As we have already noted, this miracle is a ‘sign’ that indicates Jesus’ role in satisfying our spiritual hunger as well. Mother Teresa said: “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for….is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.” We are called to feed people with these and other spiritual values as well. One does not live by bread alone (Mt 4:4). People need to be fed with bread as well as love, care, truth and peace. As explained above, this miracle has strong Eucharistic overtones. The Eucharist satisfies our spiritual hunger and motivates us to share our goods with the needy. In other words, besides nourishing us spiritually, the Eucharist sends us out in the world to break our bread with the hungry and the needy.
(2) Our mission is to introduce or bring others to Jesus so that he may do what he wants with them. Andrew is famous in John’s gospel for bringing people to Jesus. In the beginning, he brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus after his experience of staying with him (Jn 1:40-42) and later brought some Greeks to Jesus who wanted to see him (12:20-22). In today’s gospel, he brings a lad in the crowd who was generous enough to give the little food he had brought for himself. We notice a contrast between the attitudes of Andrew and Philip in today’s text. Philip thought that the whole situation was hopeless. According to him, nothing could be done because they had nothing with them. But Andrew said something was there (five barley loaves and two fish) with a lad in the crowd, though it is not sufficient for all. Needless to say what a wonder happened when he brought that lad to Jesus and placed his little resource before Jesus. Introducing people to Jesus and his values, especially the value of sharing what we have is a very important mission for parents, children, teachers, preachers, pastors and missionaries. Who among us is not one of these?
(3) We need to put into God’s hands or into his service whatever little resources we have and he can do wonderful things out of his abundance. As per today’s gospel, Jesus did not lower baskets after baskets filled with bread from the sky like a magician. Nor did he create something out of nothing. He noticed the physical hunger of the people and made use of the little resource a boy had. He multiplied what one of them already had with him. Jesus’ compassion for the hungry was not a mere pity; it was turned into an action of feeding them through the little means available with them. The wonder is that the boy agreed to give what he had brought for himself. Nobody can say for sure whether Jesus would have worked this miracle if that boy would have hidden the little food he had brought, or eaten it up hurriedly, or sold it out to somebody! What we know is his good will and generosity became a turning point for this miracle.
When we generously share
something we have, our resources and joys are multiplied.
The unnamed boy in the crowd is a model
for you and me to give what we have without
any reservation into Jesus’ hands so
that he may multiply it to satisfy the needs of many. We should give not only
from our abundance but also from our poverty. In Jesus’ days bread made out of
barley was the cheapest bread eaten by the poor. This anonymous boy proclaims
not by words but by his action that the little
we have when put into Jesus’ hands becomes much.
It is only when we willingly part with a
little thing, a little time, energy and resource which we have, we are able to alleviate
the misery and suffering of many people. If all of us could share the little we
have, there would be enough for all. As Mahatma Gandhi said, in our world there
is enough for everybody’s need, but not for everybody’s greed!
There are two types of people all over the world: (1) Philip-type people who are pessimistic. They see a number of obstacles and problems and do not want to get involved. (2) Andrew-type people who are a little optimistic. We can notice the weakness of faith in Philip when he thinks about the enormous human need and the meagreness of resources. Instead, he could have said, "Lord, we do believe that you have the divine powers to take away the hunger of the hungry.” Like him, we too think in terms of money; and when we do not have money we think nothing could be done. We do not think of the energies, time, talents, abilities and knowledge we already possess. If we could put into Jesus’ hands what we already have there would be may more miracles.
Quite often we think
that money is the solution to all problems. We never think faith has the answer when nothing else is
works. When we see so much misery and lack
of necessities of life, we need to be like Andrew in pointing out the little we
have and encourage others to share it. If we generously share the little
things we have, God will multiply them.
Our selfish desire to spend whatever
we have for ourselves hinders us from sharing with others what we have, or
doing an act of charity. Today Jesus wants to change not loaves and fishes but
selfish men and women into sharers of their resources. Jesus dreamt about a society
of love and fellowship among us (called ‘the
5. Response to God's Word
Like Jesus, can we be a little more sensitive to others’ physical hunger and material needs, and share our food and other resources with them out of compassion? Are we willing to share the little we have, or eat it up for ourselves or hide (hoard) it? Do we live the Eucharist outside the celebration of Holy Mass by practising Jesus’ teaching on sharing and caring? Do we submit ourselves to Jesus so that he could change our selfish and greedy hearts in such a way that we become sharers rather than hoarders? Let us be sorry for the times we refused to share our resources, time, knowledge and energies for common good, or failed to teach these values to children and companions.
6.
A prayer
O compassionate Jesus, grant that we may be very sensitive to the hunger and struggles of those who lack food and other basic necessities of life. Increase in us the virtue of sharing our resources, however little they are, with those who do not have. We want to place our little resources into your hands and pray that you may multiply them according to your will. Teach us to give, share and care, instead of only receiving and hoarding. Teach us to share not only our material things, but also time, energies, knowledge, talents and values of love, sacrifice, truth, peace and justice. Amen.
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